Use of carnitines for the prevention and/or treatment of disorders caused by the andropause

ABSTRACT

The use of propionyl L-carnitine in combination with acetyl L-carnitine, or one of their pharmaceutically acceptable salts, is disclosed for the preparation of a medicament, or of a nutritional supplement, for the prevention and/or treatment of the disorders of the male andropause caused by ageing or by chemical or surgical castration.

The present invention relates to a strip for rolling shutters having a particular profile. The present invention also relates to a rolling shutter comprising said strip.

The known rolling shutters comprise a plurality of horizontal strips hinged to each other for being rolled up around a roller. For this purpose, these strips comprise a lateral concave surface that will result turned toward the roller and a lateral convex surface that will result turned toward the opposite side of the roller. Thanks to this curved profile of the strips, the known rolling shutters can be rolled up into a small-sized rolling-shutter box.

However, the rolling-shutter box is often mounted outside the windows, for example when the latter are not prepared yet for mounting rolling shutters, so that the rolling shutters show outwards a series of concave surfaces, otherwise they could be contained only in a large-sized rolling-shutter box. In any case, the known rolling shutters are unaesthetic if mounted outside a building.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a rolling shutter which is free from said disadvantages, i.e. a rolling shutter which has an aesthetically valuable outer profile and can be mounted outside a building in a small-sized rolling-shutter box. Said object is achieved with a strip for rolling shutters and a rolling shutter, the main features of which are disclosed in claims 1 and 11, respectively, while other features are disclosed in the remaining claims.

Thanks to their particular outer profile, the strips for rolling shutters according to the present invention are aesthetically valuable and can be employed in a rolling shutter to be rolled up into a small rolling-shutter box mounted outside a building.

According to a particular aspect of the invention, the strips for rolling shutters can have an inner profile complementary to the outer profile, so that they are aesthetically valuable also when seen from the inside.

Furthermore, the rolling shutters assembled with the strips according to the present invention preferably have the same inner and outer wavy profiles. For this purpose, the strips for rolling shutters can also have a horizontal central groove which simulates the contact line between one strip and the other one.

Further advantages and features of the strip for rolling shutters and the rolling shutter according to the present invention will become evident to those skilled in the art from the following detailed and non-limiting description of two embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a partial perspective view of three strips for rolling shutters according to the first embodiment of the invention, hinged one to the other;

FIG. 2 shows a partial perspective view of three strips for rolling shutters according to the second embodiment of the invention, hinged one to the other; and

FIG. 3 shows a partial side cross-sectional view of a rolling shutter comprising a plurality of strips of FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 1, it is seen that a strip 1 for rolling shutters consists in a known way of a section bar of plastic or metallic material, for example aluminum, having an upper hook-shaped protrusion 2 and a lower seat 3 open downwardly, so that the upper protrusion 2 can be hooked into the lower seat 4 of an overlooking strip 5 for rolling shutters and the upper portion 6 of a lower strip 7 for rolling shutters can be hooked into the lower seat 3 of strip 1. The shape and the size of the upper portions 2 and the lower seats 3 allow the mutual coupling between the strips 1, 5 and 7 for rolling shutters in a rotating manner, so that they are mutually hinged and can be rolled up around a roller. Therefore, strip 1 comprises a first lateral surface 1 a that will result turned toward the roller and a second lateral surface 1 b that will result turned toward the opposite side of the roller, as well as an upper surface 1 c and a lower surface 1 d suitable for fitting together with the lower surface of the overlooking strip 5 and the upper surface of the lower strip 7, respectively. Strip 1 can also comprise an inner reinforcing wall 1 e and the interspace 8 that is created between the lateral surfaces 1 a and 1 b can be hollow or filled with an insulating material.

According to the invention, the central portion of a lateral surface of strip 1, in particular of the first lateral surface 1 a that will result turned toward the roller, is concave, while its upper and lower portions are convex. Preferably, said central, upper and lower portions have substantially the same bend radiuses and the height h2 of the central portion is substantially equal to the sum of the heights h1 and h3 of the upper and lower portions of the first lateral surface 1 a. The central portion of the opposite lateral surface of strip 1, for example of the second lateral surface 1 b that will result turned toward the opposite side of the roller, is convex, while its upper and lower portions are concave. Preferably, the bend radiuses of said portions are substantially the same, as well as substantially equal to the bend radiuses of the portions of the first lateral surface 1 a, while the height h5 of the central portion of the second lateral surface 1 b is substantially equal to the sum of the heights h4 and h6 of the upper and lower portions of the latter lateral surface, as well as to the height h2 of the central portion of the first lateral surface 1 a

With the above arrangements, strips 1, 5 and 7 arranged one on the other have one or both lateral surfaces having a wavy profile, the contact lines between a strip and the other being arranged in the concave zones of a wavy profile and in the convex zones of the opposite wavy profile.

Referring to FIG. 2, it is seen that the strip 9 for rolling shutters of the second embodiment of the invention is similar to strip 1, with the difference of a horizontal groove 10 which is arranged along the central portions of the lateral surfaces 9 a and/or 9 b, so that when more strips 9 are arranged one on the other, their horizontal grooves 10 are substantially at the same distance from the contact lines between one strip and the other one.

Referring finally to FIG. 3, it is seen that the rolling shutter according to the present invention comprises a plurality of strips 1 which are hinged one on the other and can be rolled up around a roller 11 arranged inside a rolling-shutter box 12 which has a relatively small size and is arranged outside a window 13 and/or a wall 14 of a building.

Changes and/or additions, if any, may be made by those skilled in the art to the embodiments of the invention described and illustrated hereinabove, while remaining within the scope of the same invention. 

1.-9. (canceled)
 10. A method for the prevention and/or treatment of disorders caused by the andropause comprising administering to a subject in need thereof an effective amount of propionyl L-carnitine in combination with acetyl L-carnitine or one of their pharmaceutically acceptable salts.
 11. The method according to claim 10, in which the andropause is caused by ageing.
 12. The method according to claim 10, in which the andropause is caused by chemical or surgical castration.
 13. The method according to claim 10, in which the disorders of the andropause are selected from the group consisting of: reduced libido or sexual drive and reduced quality of erections, including nocturnal erections, depression of mood, reduction of intellectual activity and of spatial orientation capacity, fatigue, irritability, reduced lean body mass, reduced muscular functional capacity, reduced mental concentration, reduced functioning of the hair-growing apparatus, increased visceral fat, atrophy of the skin, and reduced bone density resulting in osteopenia and osteoporosis.
 14. The method according to claim 10, in which the pharmaceutically acceptable salt is selected from the group consisting of: chloride, bromide, orotate, acid aspartate, acid citrate, magnesium citrate, acid phosphate, fumarate and acid fumarate, magnesium fumarate, lactate, maleate and acid maleate, mucate, acid oxalate, pamoate, acid pamoate, acid sulphate, glucose phosphate, tartrate, acid tartrate, magnesium tartrate, 2-aminoethane sulphonate, magnesium 2-aminoethane sulphonate, choline tartrate and trichloroacetate.
 15. The method according to claim 10, in which propionylL-carnitine in combination with acetyl L-carnitine are in a unit dosage form containing from 4.0 g to
 0. 50 g of propionyl L-carnitine inner salt, and from 0.50 g to 4.0 g of acetyl L-carnitine inner salt, or an equimolar amount of one of their pharmaceutically acceptable salts.
 16. The method according to claim 15, in unit dose form containing 2 g of propionyl L-carnitine inner salt and 2 g of acetyl L-carnitine inner salt, or an equimolar amount of one of their pharmaceutically acceptable salts.
 17. The method according to claim 15, in which propionyl L-carnitine in combination with acetyl L-carnitine are formulated together, as a mixture, or are formulated separately.
 18. The method according to claim 17, in which propionyl L-carnitine in combination with acetyl L-carnitine are in a form suitable for oral or parenteral administration. 